Ebola: Burial team attacked in Sierra Leone

A team of health workers trying to bury dead Ebola victims were on Saturday attacked in the Sierra Leonean village of Matainkay. This happened even as the country struggled through the second day of a nationwide curfew to help combat the virus.

Police were called in to help the team, which reportedly fled, abandoning five bodies.

Since the curfew came into effect on Friday, most of Sierra Leone’s six million people have been confined to their homes. Only essential workers, such as health professionals and security forces, are exempted.

Critics have however argued that the curfew could cause people to go to extra lengths to conceal those infected.

The charity group, Doctors Without Borders said would be “extremely difficult for health workers to accurately identify cases through door-to-door screening”, adding that the country did not have enough beds even if suspected cases were identified during the curfew.

Liberia had instituted curfews last month, but was forced to lift them after street protests.

The crisis resulting from the virus’ outbreak has started to escalate with violence. On Thursday, villagers in rural Guinea had killed eight Ebola awareness workers and dumped their bodies in a latrine.